24-25 Special Education Teacher (Grades Prek-12 / Next Year Opening)

Company Description

KIPP New Orleans Schools (KNOS) is a non-profit network of 13 college-preparatory, public charter schools serving 6,200 elementary, middle, and high school students, and over 1,500 alumni.  While each of our schools is as unique as the community to which it belongs, we are united around a shared promise: To build academically excellent schools that create unlimited opportunity for all students. For over 15 years, we have a proven track record of preparing students for success in college, career, and beyond.

At KIPP, you have the freedom to innovate and the support to grow. You never stop learning, and you’re part of a national network that’s leading the way in getting students from underserved communities to and through college. As we grow to serve more students in communities across the country, we need passionate teammates to join us and make their impact at KIPP. Where will YOU take us?  Click here to learn more about teaching and working at KIPP New Orleans Schools!

As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration of race/ethnicity, economic status, age/ability, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, religion, country of origin, language(s) spoken, and/or other diverse backgrounds.

Job Description

At KIPP New Orleans, we see the gifts in everyone who walks through the doors of our schools. Especially our teachers. Their skill. Energy. Love. Their determination. On the good days, and the hard ones. So we support our teachers to make the most of those gifts in order to build academically excellent classrooms and create unlimited opportunities for all of our students.

 The KIPP Difference | Together, a Future Without Limits

• Respect: For our teachers’ innate talent and desire to learn, for their professional growth and the lives they lead beyond our walls.
• Support: Our teachers always feel the KIPP Team and Family at their backs, with support to grow and opportunities to lead. 
• Purpose: Together, we share an ambitious mission to create a future without limits. And we need talented teachers to realize it.

As a KIPP New Orleans Teacher, your core responsibilities include:

Achievement | Teaching and Learning

• Provides research-based specialized instruction to address the instructional goals and objectives contained within each student’s IEP on assigned caseload.
• Ensure delivery of appropriate accommodations and modifications as outlined on students’ IEP
• Use data to inform instructional decisions and assess student progress and determine the need for additional reinforcement or adjustments to instructional techniques.
• Provide students with daily feedback on performance and plan for individual learning needs

Hope | Build a Positive Classroom Culture

• Create a positive learning environment by developing classroom rules, systems and procedures
• Communicate a deep belief that all students can learn, and belong, in the classroom 
• Consistently implement the school-wide management policies
• Hold high expectations for student behavior at all times
• Provides consultation to classroom teachers regarding classroom adaptations, instructional modifications,adaptive equipment, behavior modification plans and other similar instructional interventions to meet the needs of students with disabilities. 

Community | Build a Positive School Culture

• Embody and maintain school values, policies and culture
• Develop positive relationships with students, families, teachers, staff and community members
• Establish and maintain strong communication with all families and share progress
• Actively participate in critical school events, including: staff meetings, open houses, parent teacher conferences and more
• Collaborates and consults with educational professionals and community service providers (i.e., social services, public health, medical providers, etc.) regarding the needs of students.

Relentlessness | Demonstrate a Growth Mindset

• Pursue ambitious professional goals and student learning targets each year
• Give and receive positive and constructive feedback with your colleagues
• Participate in school-wide and individual professional development

Equity | Fight for a More Just World

• Commit to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for all of our students, families, teachers, staff and community members
• Intentionally uplift all stakeholders regardless of identity or diverse backgrounds
• Participate in programming that acknowledges racial injustices, biases and reflection on our own identities

Case Management | Special Education Compliance

• Develops and implements annual Individualized Educational Program (IEP) plans for students to include: present levels of educational performance, Special Education needs, instructional goals and objectives, and the Special Education and related services required to meet those goals.
• Maintains accurate Special Education records for students and regularly updates according to reporting deadlines
• Manages completion of Special Education progress reports, service logs  and filing for all related services providers servicing students on caseload 
• Collaborates with school psychologist to complete student evaluations
• Adheres to procedural requirements, including due process timelines.

Qualifications

The following are required of all KIPP New Orleans teachers:

• Bachelor’s degree 
• Successful completion of State and Federal Criminal Background Check
• Personal affinity to our mission and vision, as well as demonstrated commitment to our 5 core beliefs - Relentlessness, Equity, Achievement, Community, and Hope
• Provide documentation of either 1) received a COVID-19 vaccination or 2) have requested, and been granted, reasonable accommodation from the KNOS Director of Human Resources to be exempted from the requirements of this policy

The following are strongly preferred for all KIPP New Orleans teachers:

• At least two years of teaching experience in urban, open enrollment schools
• State teaching credential in Special Education

The physical demands and environmental conditions described below are representative, but not exhaustive,  of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the role.  All of these physical requirements should be able to be performed with clarity, coherence and connectedness of the KNOS vision, and reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Must be able to sit and work at a desk/computer for extended periods of time
• Must be able to spend the majority of the day standing or mobile throughout the classroom, as well as talk, hear, grasp, reach and lift up to 30lbs with or without accommodations
• Ability to concentrate in active and noisy environments such as cafeterias and playgrounds, to more moderate situations such as classrooms or large group professional settings
• Must be able to have repetitive wrist/hand/finger movement to work on computer and/or related office equipment
• Ability to handle potential high stress conditions 

Additional Information

• We offer a competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package including:
  • Healthcare & Wellness (health, vision, dental, life insurance, Employee Assistance Program, and short-term disability)
     
• 403(b) retirement plan with up to a 5% contribution match
   
• Opportunities for supplemental income through stipends and bonuses 
   
• 90 hours of Paid Time Off per year
  • Approximately 28 holidays per year including Mardi Gras, Juneteenth, Thanksgiving, and Winter Break
     
• On-going professional development opportunities